Students at Kopachuck Middle School listened with rapt attention to the guest speaker at Tuesday’s assembly. They gave him rousing applause afterward, with whistles and cheers. Some approached the podium to shake his hand and get his autograph.
This was no pop star, sports hero or Internet influencer, however. Pete Metzelaar, 90, came to tell the students about his youth hiding and fleeing from soldiers of the Nazi regime during World War II.
Metzelaar, who is Jewish, was there to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on behalf of the Holocaust Center for Humanity of Seattle. Eighth graders at the school will study the Holocaust this year as part of their English Language Arts curriculum. The entire student body, grades six through eight, heard his speech.
Metzelaar has been sharing his story with students and other groups since 1993. Each time, he relives the details of those harrowing years…